Rockstar Games issues BBC with lawsuit over GTA drama

Earlier this year the BBC laid out plans to write a 90-minute feature-length drama about the inception and creation of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series.

The scale of the broadcasters ambitions gained some serious weight when it was announced that Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Paxton had been cast in lead roles - Radcliffe as Rockstar's co-founder Sam Houser and Paxton as anti-obscenity campaigner Jack Thompson, an American lawyer determined to find a link between violent crime and the game's players.

However, word comes from IGN that Rockstar Games isn't happy with how the BBC has gone about creating the one-off feature. The games developer, via parent company Take-Two Interactive, has filed a lawsuit against the broadcaster for trademark infringement.

Here's how the Rockstar statement reads:

"Take-Two Interactive has filed suit against the BBC for trademark infringement based on their movie currently titled ‘Game Changer’ as it relates to Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto video game series.

"While holders of the trademarks referenced in the film title and its promotion, Rockstar Games has had no involvement with this project. Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC's pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games. We have attempted multiple times to resolve this matter with the BBC without any meaningful resolution. It is our obligation to protect our intellectual property and unfortunately in this case litigation was necessary."

Currently slated for broadcast later this year, there's currently no word from the BBC as to whether the lawsuit will disrupt Game Changer, which started filming in April. Given that the BBC have so far only offered a response to say they don't "make comments on legal matters", we can't imagine we'll be hearing from them any time soon.

Here's hoping they settle manners in a professional, timely fashion. Or with a point-to-point race on GTA V, whichever seems fairer.